Living With Hydrogen, Gas Prices Become Incentive for Progress

Wrapping up his hydrogen-powered lease of a lifetime, PM's Citizen Fuel Cell envisions a future of hydrogen-electric hybrids that will wean us from gasoline for good. Getting there, he argues, will take two massive paradigm shifts: pushing battery and fuel cell research beyond even Chevy Volt levels, and convincing Americans that $4/gallon gas can be a good thing.

Going in, I really didn't expect fuel cells--something so new to me, so frustrating to scientists and so difficult for this country to scale up--to be this legitimately far along in development. And looking back, I had no major issues with the vehicle the whole time--a testament to how well GM has run both its propulsion research and this Project Driveway initiative for real-world testing. Looking forward, with the company set to offer a full first look at the Chevy Volt tomorrow, GM will pass along my Equinox to another tester for just two months in an attempt to get more drivers in these gas-free cars.

Over the course of my three months, with GM footing the (still pricey) bill for hydrogen fill-ups, I missed much of the summer's painful stretch at the pump. Now, just as I'm beginning to pay my own way, gas prices have finally dipped below $4/gallon. And to be honest, I kind of wish they hadn't.

When oil barrels were trading at an all-time high, everyone from Detroit to my neighborhood really started to think about alternatives. There were fewer cars on the road, hybrids became even more popular, and all other methods of transportation got a boost. All that made it an enlightening time to be driving a hydrogen-powered car, with dozens of people around here asking me the same questions: "Where can I get one of those?" Unfortunately I had to tell my newfound friends that my ride wasn't available yet and won't be for a couple more years.

Even after Hurricane Ike, it appears that gas prices will drop off. Even in the midst of an economic downturn, the sense of urgency for alternative vehicles should not.

GM's Project Driveway will continue on for two more years, yet many still ask why we need hydrogen fuel cells with all the electric vehicles coming down the pike. The thought is that battery technology will advance to the point where we can all drive pure electric vehicles, making hydrogen unnecessary. GM itself hasn't been shy about putting a lot of resources behind the Volt, with a target of 40 miles from the batteries before gasoline is used in a generator to recharge them. And the Volt's range remains in "target" mode because batteries capable of 40 miles are still very expensive. Even in 10 years, when lithium-ion research might power 200 miles per plug-in, average guys like me still have one big problem: How do you recharge when you're on a road trip beyond that range?

That's where hybrids come in--just not the kinds we're used to hearing about. Today's hybrids feature gasoline and electric motors, but the next generation will rely on hydrogen-fuel cell and electric motors. The Volt will be a great car, but even it's dependent on gasoline after 40 miles. And you can't drive from L.A. to Vegas--not quickly at least--expecting to recharge those batteries so often. But if hydrogen were to replace gasoline, the onboard fuel cell would kick in and juice up the batteries after the charge ran down, all while creating zero emissions out of the tailpipe. When you get low on hydrogen you'll be able to pull over to a "hydrogen gas" station, and refill the hydrogen tank in a matter of minutes. And once back home, you can plug the car into your electrical outlet and recharge, preserving the hydrogen.

Together, electric vehicles and fuel cells form what I now see as the perfect combination for our zero-emissions future--and for the end of our dependence on oil, foreign or otherwise. With at-home hydrogen generation now feasible, it's possible that we could get by with a limited hydrogen infrastructure. Admittedly, there remains a ton of work to bring fuel cell vehicles to the mainstream. But if these past three months taught me anything, it's that these vehicles deserve a chance--especially considering they haven't really been introduced yet. To quote one of the original drivers from Project Driveway, "I have driven the future, and it runs on hydrogen."